


Love You to Pieces

by 15Acesplz



Category: The Producers (2005)
Genre: Autistic Character, Hurt/Comfort, Leo has a meltdown! it's not a fun time, Multi, Open Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:01:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28238157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/15Acesplz/pseuds/15Acesplz
Summary: After a rough day, Leo finds himself falling apart. Luckily, Max and Ulla are willing to do whatever it takes to help him feel better.
Relationships: Leopold "Leo" Bloom/Ulla, Max Bialystock & Ulla, Max Bialystock/Leopold "Leo" Bloom
Comments: 6
Kudos: 11





	Love You to Pieces

Leo couldn’t remember another rehearsal as challenging as the one today. The actors were being difficult, the crew was sloppy and disorganized, and the production team was slowing everything down with infighting. Everyone was overworked, discouraged, and at the end of their rope – and Leo personally felt that he’d lost hold of his rope around the same time that one of the chorus girls was sent home early with a twisted ankle. He didn’t know how he was going to make it through the production meeting after rehearsal.

Still, he had to keep it together for everyone. For the show. He did his best to hide his steadily fraying nerves, but Max must have noticed anyway, because he pulled Leo aside as the actors were leaving.

“Leo, go home.”

“But –”

“No, I don’t want to hear it,” he said sternly, before Leo could argue. “You’re exhausted. I can handle the production meeting, alright? Get yourself home and I’ll be along as soon as this is done.”

Leo knew Max wasn’t likely to change his mind, and he was too worn out to match his partner’s stubbornness. His shoulders sagged and he nodded. Max ruffled Leo’s hair with a gentle smile before returning to the director’s table.

When Leo left the theater he found that it was raining cats and dogs outside. Cars sent sprays of water onto the sidewalk as they zipped by, and pedestrians rushed between awnings, clinging to their umbrellas as the wind tore through Shubert Alley. Leo wished he had thought to bring an umbrella – not that it would’ve done him much good, with the wind going like it was. Before he headed home he purchased a damp newspaper from the corner stand, tucking it inside his coat to protect it from the onslaught of rain.

By the time Leo got back to the apartment he shared with Max, he was soaked through. It had been such a hard day, and all he wanted to do was collapse on the couch and read the evening paper with Max like they always did. Max wasn’t here yet, though – he was still at the theater. Leo hadn’t expected him to be back already, but he didn’t like that they were returning at different times tonight. They always came back from rehearsal together, and sat together, and read the paper together. Leo couldn’t read the paper without Max.

He paced in circles around the couch, the chafing of his wet clothes making his skin crawl. _I should go change_ , he thought. He kept pacing. Before long his hand crept into his left pocket for his blanket – but it wasn’t in there. It wasn’t in his right pocket, either, or in any of his jacket pockets or coat pockets. He knew he’d had it earlier, so why wasn’t it in his pocket like it was supposed to be? It was gone, right when he needed it. His heart had lodged itself in his throat, and his ears felt hot. He reached up and massaged them with the tips of his fingers, but it wasn’t the same without his blanket. He needed it, needed the softness and the familiar smell and something to white-knuckle squeeze.

He clenched his hands into fists, fingernails digging into his palms. He couldn’t breathe. He sat down on the couch. Where was Max? Leo wanted him back. He had the evening paper but no Max, and no blanket. No blanket, no Max, wet clothes, bad day. The thoughts chased each other around in his head, making him feel sick. Everything was wrong, and Leo was shattering into a million tiny pieces…

\- - - - -

Max didn’t pay much attention to the sound of crying as he walked down the hall. The walls were thin; it could be anyone in the building. But then, as he approached the door to his own apartment, he paused. The sound was louder here than anywhere else. He wrenched the door open and found Leo prone on the couch with his hands balled up in his hair, sobbing like his arm had been torn off between great big gasps for breath.

Max stood frozen in the doorway for a moment. He’d left Leo alone for all of twenty minutes – what the hell had happened? It didn’t look like Leo was hurt, or in any kind of danger. He was just… crying, crying so hard that his voice was ragged. What was Max supposed to do with that? He wasn’t good at this part of relationships; he never had been. He waffled in the doorway for a bit longer before slowly approaching.

“Leo?” He knelt down beside the couch, placing a tentative hand on Leo’s shoulder. “Leo, what’s wrong?”

Leo made a shuddering sound, forcing out his words with considerable effort. “My blanket, it’s gone, it’s gone, all gone –” he babbled.

“Hey, hey, calm down, alright?” Max said hastily. He made to brush the damp bangs off Leo’s forehead, but Leo flinched away from the touch. “You probably just dropped it in the theater, you had it out nearly half the day –”

Leo shook his head, back and forth and back and forth. “No, no, no, no, no, it’s supposed to be here, supposed to be in my pocket but it’s not, it’s not, it’s gone and nothing’s right!” And with that, he went into a new bout of tears.

“Oh, God… I –” Max was at a loss. He didn’t think anything he said would get through to Leo; it was clear that he could think of nothing else but his missing blanket. Max could go search for it, but that would mean leaving Leo alone in this state. He needed backup. “Just hang tight, okay, buddy?”

He patted Leo’s shoulder, then hurried over to the telephone. He flipped through the address book, while in the background Leo muttered meaningless syllables to himself. God, Max really hoped Ulla would pick up.

To his great relief, after a few rings the call connected and he heard that distinctive, chirpy voice. “This is Ulla!”

“Ulla? It’s Max, could you do me an enormous favor?”

She must have sensed his urgency, because her tone immediately turned serious. “What is it? What is happening?”

“Leo’s happening. He’s having one of his fits, but it’s a real bad one and I don’t know what the fuck to do. I know it’s late, but could you please come over?”

“Ah, I see. Yes, I will be there very fast.”

“You’re a gem, Ulla.” He hung up and dialed the telephone again.

This time, he had to wait a couple minutes for someone to answer. “Shubert Theatre,” said a gruff voice that Max recognized as the janitor’s.

“Hi, it’s Max Bialystock. Did anyone happen to find a little scrap of fabric after rehearsal?”

“Whaddaya mean, fabric?”

Max could tell the man was baffled by the strange question, but in the current circumstance he didn’t particularly care. “It’s pale blue and all worn out, about a foot long with a satin border at one end.”

The janitor hummed in thought. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Could you check?” he pleaded. “Near the director’s table?”

“I can look, sure.”

“Great, can you call me back if you find it?” Max gave the janitor his phone number. And then, with no more phone calls left to make, he had no choice but to face the problem directly again.

Leo seemed to have worn himself out with the crying. He ground his teeth and took quick, shallow breaths, hands still pulling at his hair and eyes panicked and unseeing as Max returned to his side.

“Leo? I called Ulla, she’s on her way over now.” The only response he got was Leo squeezing his eyes shut. He sighed and continued. “I called the theater, too. The janitor’s gonna look for your blanket.”

“We – we were supposed to read the paper together,” Leo said in a wobbly voice.

“What?”

“We always sit and read the paper together, but you weren’t here to read it and I’m all wet and it’s so bad –” he rambled, his breaths quickening.

“Yes, shh, I know.” Max held out his hand, and Leo shakily took it. Max took that as his cue to help him sit upright. “How about we get you out of those wet things? Yeah?”

Leo went on and on about the newspaper as Max stripped his clothes off. “I got the paper but you weren’t here so we didn’t read it together, we’re supposed to sit on the couch and read the paper, we always do it except for today –”

“We’ll sit and read the newspaper as soon as you’re out of these wet clothes, okay?” Once Leo was down to his underthings, Max wrapped him up in a big, quilted blanket. He grabbed the evening paper off the coffee table and sat down beside Leo, opening to the first page. “See? Everything’s going to be okay.”

Max stared at the columns without comprehending a word. All his attention was on Leo, sniffling against his shoulder.

“Max?” Leo croaked after a few minutes of silence. “I – I want my blue blanket.” His voice broke in the middle, and suddenly he was tearful again.

“I know,” Max said, despite knowing that Leo wouldn’t hear his reassurances anyway. “I know, Leo, I promise we’ll find it.” He rubbed circles into Leo’s back, praying that Ulla would show up soon.

\- - - - -

Ulla didn’t bother knocking when she arrived at Leo and Max’s place. She opened the door and walked right in to find Leo on the couch crying into Max’s shoulder. She rushed over, depositing her raincoat beside the couch. “Oh, sweetheart, my dear Leo…”

As soon as Ulla sat down on Leo’s other side, Max started fussing. “Don’t touch him, he doesn’t like being touched too much when he’s like this,” he fretted, putting his hand out hastily.

Ulla just fixed him with a look. “I know this, Max.”

“Oh. Yeah, of course.” Max coughed, looking sheepish. “Um…” He wriggled out of Leo’s grasp and stood up, taking the raincoat Ulla had discarded over to the coat hook. “I’m going to run down to the Shubert to look for his blanket.” He put on his own coat and hat and made a speedy exit. Ulla guessed he must have sorely needed a break.

With Max gone, Leo seemed to shrink in on himself. He sat there clutching the quilt around his shoulders, his head bowed and tears dripping steadily down his nose. Ulla was no stranger to Leo’s ‘hysterics’, as he called it; he’d fallen to pieces just like this when they’d first checked into the hotel in Rio. For the whole trip Leo had been riddled with guilt and paranoia, which had only worsened the stress of his first plane ride. He’d managed to hold it together all the way to their hotel room before losing his composure, and Ulla had spent the rest of the day consoling and cuddling him. He’d slept for about twelve hours after that ordeal.

So, Ulla knew what to do. She sat beside Leo, patiently repeating his name. “Leo… Leo… Leo, darling…” He finally looked up at her, and she gave him an encouraging smile. “There is my Leo. What do you need, honeybunch?”

“I – I…” He shut his eyes and started to shake his head rapidly. “I need my blanket. I need it, it’s gone, I –”

“Shh, shh,” she soothed, before Leo could work himself into a frenzy. “Max is coming back with blanket very soon. You understand?” Leo slowly nodded, and Ulla smiled at him again. “Good. What do you need else?”

Leo thought for a moment, then held his arms out for a hug. Ulla gathered him close and didn’t make any move to let go until he did, several minutes later. He brought his fingers up to the tips of his ears and rubbed, his face screwing up a little bit. “Ulla, I need –”

It was right then that Max returned, soaking wet but looking considerably calmer than he’d been when Ulla had arrived. “Leo, look what I got.”

As soon as Max held out the blue blanket, Leo was practically lunging over the back of the couch for it. He brought it to his face immediately, going through all of his usual motions. He rubbed the blanket on his cheek, then held it against his nose, breathing in the smell deeply. Then he wrapped it under his chin and held the ends against his ears, massaging them in small circles. He repeated the sequence four times, his breaths growing steadier with each repetition. Once he had soothed himself, he lay down on the couch, curling up with his head in Ulla’s lap and quietly making unintelligible little noises.

Max let out a great sigh of relief, leaning heavily against the support column across from the couch. “Ulla, I can’t thank you enough for coming over,” he said. “I don’t know how I would have handled him on my own.”

“You can call me to come any times, Max,” Ulla said, sincerely meaning it.

Max half-smiled. “Gee, thanks.” He looked at Leo, who was already getting drowsy. “I, uh… I should probably get this guy to bed,” he said.

Leo stirred and mumbled, “Ulla… please stay?”

Max didn’t look delighted by that notion, but Ulla knew he wouldn’t say no to Leo. Sure enough, he said, “I can just sleep on the couch.”

“No, no, no. Max stay, too,” Leo insisted.

“Oh!” Max’s eyebrows flew up in surprise, and he glanced at Ulla. She just shrugged, palms open. “Um. Well,” Max said awkwardly, “our bed’s pretty big.”

\- - - - -

Max didn’t necessarily dislike Ulla. He used to think she was nothing more than a dime-a-dozen ditzy showgirl, but once he got to know her a little better (and once her English began to improve) he found that she was actually quite quick-witted, and funny to boot. Not to mention that she certainly made for easy looking – a fact that he was roundly reminded of when Ulla undressed to her slip for their impromptu sleepover. So no, Max didn’t dislike her. He was just… uncomfortable around her. What was a man supposed to say to his boyfriend’s girlfriend? It was a strange situation, and sometimes Max privately wondered if the age-old tradition of infidelity might have been preferable. They did say that ignorance was bliss, after all.

But Leo was happy with the arrangement, so Max dealt with the awkwardness of it. This particular part was unprecedented, but if it was what Leo needed tonight then Max wasn’t about to deny him.

They settled into the bed; it was crowded but manageable, especially since Leo was extra clingy and thus content to be sandwiched between his partners. Before Max could even turn out the light Leo was asleep with his face smushed against Max’s chest, one hand wrapped around his blue blanket and the other resting in Ulla’s hand.

With Leo asleep, Max and Ulla were left more or less alone together. There was a long pause.

Finally, Max said again, “Thanks for coming, really.”

“It is like I said, you can call me any times, daytime or nighttime.”

“I know. And I really appreciate that.” Max meant it, too; he didn’t know what he would have done without Ulla’s help. He glanced at his partner, sleeping soundly between them. His face was still pink from crying, but he looked peaceful. “I just never know what to do when he gets like this,” Max said quietly. “I don’t know _why_ he gets like this.”

Ulla took a moment to respond. At last she said, “Because he is Leo. It is a piece of him. And we both love all pieces of him, hm?”

“Yeah, of course. Even when his pieces are – well, _in_ pieces.”

“Yes,” she said with a soft laugh, “and all we must do is keep to loving him. You did this very good tonight.”

“Oh, I – I don’t know, you did most of the work…”

“You worked hard to get what Leo needed,” Ulla said firmly.

“Well… if you say so.” Max stared up at the ceiling. There was something he’d been wanting to ask Ulla for a long time, and he couldn’t think of any time that would be more suitable to ask it. “Are you really okay with this arrangement? With Leo living here and spending most of his time with me instead of you? Were you really fine with getting divorced and, uh…” he cleared his throat, his face heating up a bit, “and finding out he was sleeping with me?”

Again, Ulla was silent for a while before answering. Max was sure she must be upset with the question, but she didn’t sound it when she finally spoke. “He was not happy, in Rio,” she said, her tone solemn. “I knew he was not. Every day, talking about you. ‘Poor Max all alone in jail, Max would love this, I wish Max got away with us’. He was just too sad without his Max. He did not know he loved you so strong then, but I knew. He needed to go back to you. I told him this, and –”

“Wait, _you_ told him to come back?” Max interrupted, nearly sitting up before he remembered Leo lying against him. Leo mumbled and squirmed, and Max carefully eased back down onto the pillows.

Ulla waited until Leo had drifted off again to answer. “Yes, I did.”

“Why? If you knew how he felt about me, why didn’t you keep him as far away as possible?” Max asked. _That’s what I would have done,_ he didn’t say.

She shook her head with a small smile. If she understood Max’s implication, she didn’t show it. “I love him too much for doing such a thing. I want him to be happy, with me or not with me. I feel lucky he is happy with me, even if it is with you, too.” Then, seeming to decide that was enough serious talk for the night, she tossed her hair and smirked. “And there is plenty of Leo to go around, yes, Max?”

Max chuckled. “Yeah.” Because he couldn’t resist such an obvious opportunity, he added, “You know, there’s plenty of me to go around, too.”

“Oh?” Ulla said, her voice lilting and mischievous. “I will tell little old Mrs. Fowler on floor three that you say so.”

Max rolled his eyes. “Aw, shut up.” Always such a tease, that girl. Not that he blamed her; if he could have his choice of sexual partners, he would probably be picky, too. It honestly astounded him that Leo had gotten a taste of that and then decided he’d rather not have another. Maybe Ulla was lousy in bed – though that seemed far less likely than Leo just being peculiar.

Leo sighed in his sleep and brought his blanket closer to his chest. Max looked down at him, a fond smile creeping onto his face. It was a bit surprising how, when he really thought about it, Max loved every single one of those peculiarities. Even the ones that saw him worried sick dashing through a rainstorm past midnight.

When Max looked up again it was to find Ulla’s knowing eyes on him. He had half a mind to feel embarrassed, but what was there to be embarrassed of? She’d fallen for Leo the same as he had. “Anyway, I don’t know about you, but I could use some shut-eye.”

Ulla wished him good night as he reached over to turn off the bedside lamp. Max had to agree with her, he thought as he began to fall asleep. He felt pretty damn lucky that Leo was happy with him.

**Author's Note:**

> Ever since I realized that Leo has a lot of autistic traits, I've been wanting to write a fic centered around that. And this is what I ended up with! Rituals, comfort objects, and stimming galore! Also the meltdown, but hey - can't have hurt/comfort without the hurt XD It was kind of tricky to figure out how to show and not tell with the autistic stuff, because Leo wouldn't have modern vocabulary to describe his experiences, but I feel like I did alright with it!  
> Anyway, feel free to let me know what you thought! Thanks for reading!


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